Nutritional Requirements of Individuals with Dementia
Understand and meet the nutritional requirements of individuals with dementia.
Outcome 1
1) describe how cognitive, functional and emotional changes with dementia can affect eating, drinking and nutrition.
Cognitive behaviour is dysfunctional emotions and behaviours caused by damage in brain affecting part of the brain responsible for memory and all that we learn from birth- how to talk, eat etc. This means that person with dementia can forget how important it is to eat and drink. They also may lose sense of hunger and thirst. It can become problem putting client’s health at risk.
Functional change is losing ability to remember how to eat using cutlery. Instead, some people find easier to pick up food by hand, so finger food should be provided. This might be a good way to avoid confusion and distress for a client. If person finds it easier food should be laid out for a client promoting their dignity.
Emotional change can be negative emotions about the confused state when individual may not understand that there is something wrong, but behaviour of others may lead them to feeling something is wrong, which often causes stress to individual with dementia.
2) explain how poor nutrition can contribute to an individual’s experience of dementia.
Poor nutrition can make the symptoms of dementia worse, increase risk of more frequent infections requiring use of antibiotics. Malnutrition also affects immune system making it difficult to fight an infection.
Effects of poor nutrition: * Higher risk of infection * Reduced wound healing * Dermatological problems * Constipation * Disturbed sleeping pattern * Weight loss/gain
3) outline how other health and emotional conditions may affect the nutritional needs of an individual with dementia.
It is more likely that as well as dementia older elderly are more likely to develop other chronic illnesses and therefore will have specific nutritional needs.
Nutritional requirements
Outcome 1
1) describe how cognitive, functional and emotional changes with dementia can affect eating, drinking and nutrition.
Cognitive behaviour is dysfunctional emotions and behaviours caused by damage in brain affecting part of the brain responsible for memory and all that we learn from birth- how to talk, eat etc. This means that person with dementia can forget how important it is to eat and drink. They also may lose sense of hunger and thirst. It can become problem putting client’s health at risk.
Functional change is losing ability to remember how to eat using cutlery. Instead, some people find easier to pick up food by hand, so finger food should be provided. This might be a good way to avoid confusion and distress for a client. If person finds it easier food should be laid out for a client promoting their dignity.
Emotional change can be negative emotions about the confused state when individual may not understand that there is something wrong, but behaviour of others may lead them to feeling something is wrong, which often causes stress to individual with dementia.
2) explain how poor nutrition can contribute to an individual’s experience of dementia.
Poor nutrition can make the symptoms of dementia worse, increase risk of more frequent infections requiring use of antibiotics. Malnutrition also affects immune system making it difficult to fight an infection.
Effects of poor nutrition: * Higher risk of infection * Reduced wound healing * Dermatological problems * Constipation * Disturbed sleeping pattern * Weight loss/gain
3) outline how other health and emotional conditions may affect the nutritional needs of an individual with dementia.
It is more likely that as well as dementia older elderly are more likely to develop other chronic illnesses and therefore will have specific nutritional needs.
Nutritional requirements